Boston Looking To Open 'Higher-Capacity Testing Site' During COVID Surge
BOSTON (CBS) -- With people lining up to wait hours in the cold for COVID tests in Boston and around Massachusetts, city officials said Tuesday they are looking to expand testing.
"We're going to look at opening a higher-capacity testing site that may also include vaccinations," Boston Public Health Commission Director Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said at a news conference.
Ojikutu said the city has reached out to the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury as a possible mass testing/vaccination combination site, as well as helping community health centers with staffing so they can perform more tests. She said it's "totally inappropriate" that people have had to wait in long lines in bad weather.
"We're trying to make it as easy as possible for people to get tested, particularly during this surge," she said.
Mayor Michelle Wu said new testing facilities have opened up in Boston, including a walk-in location in Allston. She also said there have been discussions about managing lines more effectively and opening higher-capacity sites in addition to smaller neighborhood sites.
"We want both geographic access for our communities but also for people to know that there's a place with more likelihood that they won't have to wait as long in a line," she said.
